Fairfax County is considering experimenting with some changes to the main streets in downtown McLean.
At an open house at the McLean Community Center (1234 Ingleside Avenue) last night (Monday), the Fairfax County Department of Transportation kicked off a study of five possible pilot projects designed to slow vehicles down and make roads in the McLean Community Business Center (CBC) safer for pedestrians and cyclists.
The pilot study focuses on Old Dominion Drive between Beverly Road and Corner Lane as well as Chain Bridge Road from Old Chain Bridge Road to Tennyson Drive/Ingleside Avenue.
It was requested by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors as a follow-up to its approval of a new comprehensive plan for the CBC in June 2021.
“The McLean CBC Master Plan Amendment identified the need to develop pedestrian improvements in McLean to make it more livable and walkable,” the FCDOT study team said by email to FFXnow. “That effort established a vision for the streets in the area that include more narrow lanes, wide sidewalks, bicycle facilities, and fewer driveways.”
The plan amendment envisions downtown McLean as a “community-serving business area” that’s less intense than Tysons but still revitalized with mixed-use development and a stronger sense of place compared to the existing 230 acres of auto-centric strip malls.
“Key components for the vision include a multimodal street network that is responsive to the needs of pedestrians and bicyclists as well as automobiles, an appropriate mix of uses, activated streetscapes, building height maximums, compatible transitions, and a network of public parks,” the plan said, noting that “new auto-oriented uses and drive-through lanes” are particularly not encouraged in the densest, most commercial area, known as the Center Zone.
While that long-term vision won’t be implemented overnight, the Board of Supervisors directed FCDOT to study the feasibility of pilot projects that could bring some near-term improvements:
- Provide on-street, off-peak parking along Chain Bridge Road and Old Dominion Drive
- Reduce turning radii and travel lane widths to encourage slower speeds
- Construct raised or landscaped medians along Chain Bridge Road and Old Dominion Drive
- Remove dedicated right-turn lanes to create safer crossings for pedestrians
- Reduce the posted speed limit along Old Dominion Drive from 30 mph to 25 mph
The speed limit reduction would target Old Dominion between Beverly Drive and Corner Lane. More limited turning radii, narrower travel lanes and medians in place of two-way left-turn lanes would help slow drivers down, shorten crossing distances and improve access management, FCDOT said in the presentation from yesterday’s open house.
Staff have also proposed removing dedicated right-turn lanes on Old Dominion at Beverly Drive and Corner Lane, which will make “the pedestrian crossing distance shorter making it easier and safer to cross the street.”
According to FCDOT, allowing on-street parking will encourage drivers to go slower by narrowing the road.
Since the study is just getting underway, none of the pilot projects have been officially recommended by FCDOT yet, according to the study team. An interactive map linked via QR code in the presentation allows people to provide feedback on the potential projects and point out concerns that could be addressed.
The study is expected to take about 12 to 18 months to complete, including two more rounds of public meetings and the development of a timeline for implementing any projects that move forward, the study team says.
“We’re trying to make McLean more of a place to go to, not just through. The new Plan anticipates new residential uses that will deliver new retail and public spaces,” Dranesville District Supervisor Jimmy Bierman said in a statement. “I look forward to hearing feedback from residents about the proposed pilot projects and am keeping an open mind with respect to how we make McLean more walkable and bikable, and more inviting to all.”
As laid out in design guidelines approved last September, the county’s ultimate plan for both Chain Bridge and Old Dominion is to turn them into four-lane avenues with off-street cycle tracks, raised and landscaped medians, landscaped buffers, sidewalks, and narrow travel lanes, potentially accompanied by on-street parking.
